Anna Hazare rejects new Lokpal Bill draft

Zeenews Bureau

New Delhi/Patna: Hours before the Centre is to consider the new revised Lokpal Bill, Anna Hazare on Thursday rejected the new draft of the Lokpal Bill with amendments proposed by the central government and announced that he would continue his fight for the Jan Lokpal Bill. "The proposed new draft of the Lokpal Bill is useless. We will continue our fight for the Jan Lokpal Bill and force the government to pass it," Hazare told reporters here. Hazare added that the proposed bill would not help fight corruption. "Such a bill will not benefit the people," he said. He said his campaign for the Jan Lokpal Bill would intensify in coming months. "I will visit people in towns and villages across the country in coming months to awaken their conscience," the septuagenarian said. Earlier he had said, "If Jan Lokpal, as we proposed, came into existence, at least 15 ministers of the central government would be sent to jail for corruption." Hazare vowed to build a new India free from corruption, with the support of people, particularly youths, who constitute a majority of the population. Anna Hazare had yesterday announced that he would form a `Jantantra Morcha` to fight for and assert people`s rights. As per reports, the union cabinet will consider the new revised Bill even though the Law Ministry has objections to the draft. The new draft leaves the appointment of Lokayuktas to the states. The earlier bill had given this power to the Centre.